Tales of Chinatown eBook

“Gracious heavens!” he cried, and noted
that the tea-tray had been removed, “there must
be something radically wrong with my health.
It is nearly seven o’clock!”

The note of the silver bell sounded in the ante-room.

“Can you forgive me?” he said.

But Madame, rising to her feet, leaned lightly upon
his shoulder, toying with the petals of the orchid
in his buttonhole.

“I think it was the perfume which that foolish
Ah Li lighted,” she whispered, looking intently
into his eyes, “and it is you who have to forgive
me. But you will, I know!” The silver bell
rang again. “When you have come to see
me again—­many, many times, you will grow
to love it—­because I love it.”

She touched the bell upon the table, and Ah Li entered
silently. When Madame de Medici held out her
hand to him Deacon raised the white fingers to his
lips and kissed them rapturously; then he turned,
the Gascon within him uppermost again, and ran from
the room.

A purple curtain was drawn across the lobby, screening
the caller newly arrived from the one so hurriedly
departing.

IV

THE LIVING BUDDHA

It was past midnight when Colonel Deacon returned
to the house. Rene was waiting for him, pacing
up and down the big library. Their relationship
was curious, as subsisting between ward and guardian,
for these two, despite the disparity of their ages,
had few secrets from one another. Rene burned
to pour out his story of the wonderful Madame de Medici,
of the secret house in Chinatown with its deceptively
mean exterior and its gorgeous interior, to the shrewd
and worldly elder man. That was his way.
But Fate had an oddly bitter moment in store for him.

“Hallo, boy!” cried the Colonel, looking
into the library; “glad you’re home.
I might not see you in the morning, and I want to
tell you about—­er—­a lady who
will be coming here in the afternoon.”

The words died upon Rene’s lips unspoken, and
he stared blankly at the Colonel.

“I thought I knew all there was to know about
pictures, antiques, and all that sort of lumber,”
continued Colonel Deacon in his rapid and off-hand
manner. “Thought there weren’t many
men in London could teach me anything; certainly never
suspected a woman could. But I’ve met
one, boy! Gad! What a splendid creature!
You know there isn’t much in the world I haven’t
seen—­north, south, east and west.
I know all the advertised beauties of Europe and Asia—­stage,
opera, and ballet, and all the rest of them.
But this one—­Gad!”

He dropped into an arm-chair, clapping both his hands
upon his knees. Rene stood at the farther end
of the library, in the shadow, watching him.

“She’s coming here to-morrow, boy—­coming
here. Gad! you dog! You’ll fall
in love with her the moment you see her—­sure
to, sure to! I did, and I’m three times
your age!”